Fizzy drinks

(I wrote this post back in July but just now noticed in October that it never published. Oops!)

Will: "I think I must be allergic to fizzy drinks; they make me giggle."

And pics of our Fourth of July boys and a mango for two:

Life, love and other things

I have some catching up to do! 

First, my big boys have started Kindergarten and are loving it.
You may notice a name change; Will re-branded himself for elementary school, telling his teacher (to our surprise) that he prefers to be called William.

And some comparison collages for good measure and sentimental value:

Ah, my boys. A bit of a shock to the system having both your kids start full-day school at the same time. One of the pros and cons of having multiples; everything is more intense since both/all your kids (usually) experience those big transitions at once! It's bittersweet, really.

A few more that show their personalities:

And time to catch up on recent anecdotes!

July 11, 2014

Will, at dinner: "You know, being good isn't so bad ... I used to be a bad guy, but then they put me in a dungeon. And I found a ninja costume there, and then I escaped."

August 23, 2014

Alex asked how old Grandpa Klein is.
Tom: I think he's 85?
Me: He's 84. He was born in 1930.
Alex: Oh. What year was I born in?
Me: 2009.
Alex: Oh! Well, I guess I am older than Grandpa if *my* number is 2009!

September 11, 2014

A friend said something about her Southern accent. Alex piped up, "My Kindergarten teacher has a Southern accident, too!"

September 30, 2014

This evening we ran into a friend of ours who is a med school professor and one of the smartest (and kindest) people I know. After a serious conversation, we were talking about the boys being in Kindergarten and Tom said, "Boys, did you know that Mr. Jim teaches doctors? That's his job." Will (who has known Mr. Jim his whole life) opened his eyes wide and then commented, "Well ... that's pretty surprising!"
Fortunately Mr. Jim also has a good sense of humor. 

October 4, 2014

Will: "I'm made to be Iron Man; God made me to be Iron Man, but I don't know why I don't have repulsors yet. I wish I could have a mechanical heart ... Do I, Mom?"

Me: So, Alex, how's your life going?
Alex: Good.
Me: What's your favorite part of life?
Alex: When people say they love each other. That's the best part of life.

More from "William the Swift"

Tonight during clean-up time,Will suddenly stopped, looked at me very solemnly, and kissed me on the cheek. He explained, "That was a true kiss. A true kiss gives you more power. With every hug and every kiss you get, you get more powerful."

And pics from tonight of their new haircuts:

First and Last Day of Preschool Pics; Latest Anecdotes

The boys have now officially finished Pre-K and will be going into Kindergarten pictures in the fall. First and last day of school pics from Pre-K:

And latest anecdotes:

June 6, 2014

Will: "I'm going to cry when I get to heaven."
Me: "You are? Why?"
Will: "Because we can't watch TV there."

June 9, 2014

Will was having a pre-bedtime snack, finishing his dinner. I said something about it being a "continuation of dinner."
Will: "Um ... what does that even mean? I don't speak 'grown-up.'"

June 16, 2014

Will (quite earnestly): Dad, we have a mystery to solve. I heard HUGE footsteps, and it might be someone lurking in my closet!

June 22, 2014

Brave knight William the Swift really gets into character. Tonight during cleanup, he tried to give me his black Batman cape. He offered it to me with bowed head saying, "Please take this, your majesty." When I asked him to put it in the cape box, he took it to 2BlueDad and asked him, "Would you like to guard this special cape for your beautiful wife, the queen?"

Sir William and Sir Alexander

New favorite costumes:

After a long day staring at my computer for a work project, I collapsed onto the couch for a few minutes to rest my eyes. Will put a pillow under my head, covered me with a blanket and brought me a stuffed dog. Then he put on his new knight outfit and marched back and forth in front of the couch. "I'm guarding you," he announced solemnly. "I just killed an invisible ogre."

Then back to marching: "Hut, two, three four, hut, two, three, four ..."

Ah, Will ...

Will sat at the dining table last night and announced, "I want to marry Stella when I grow up. But she said she doesn't want to marry me. ... But Joanna and Kasyn both said THEY want to marry me ... but I can't be married to two womans (sic) at once!" He got very earnest at this point: "So I don't know what to do! I don't know which one to choose!"

So much stress at 5 already. (I reassured him that fortunately he has plenty of time before he needs to make decisions like that.)

*****

And tonight ... I was lying on the floor, doing some stretches.

Will walked up to me, tousled my hair, and said in a very grown-up voice, "Mom, we all have the same powers. So we're ALL on the same team. OK?"

And some pictures of Will practicing his latest skill:

Easter, Then-and-Now, More 5-year-old Silliness

Wow, have I really not posted since March? Sorry about that.

It's hard to know who is reading this since I'll see sporadic view counts but no comments. If you read this, would you mind taking a few seconds to leave a comment? I'm just curious if I'm talking to myself over here or random strangers who happen by or who ... ;) 


I'll start with some recent comparison pics I put together; Summer 2010 vs Spring 2014:

What a difference 4 years makes, eh? :) And one more:

March 25, 

Will: "I love my dad. He takes such good care of me. He's like a baby-sitter!"

We clearly have good taste in baby-sitters. 

(I guess he hasn't seen all those posts about "It's not baby-sitting when it's your kid!" ;))

March 27
Will: "My friends made fun of me at school yesterday. Because I was drawing a picture, and Caleb laughed at me and said, 'That's not Mace Windu'! And then Jack laughed at me too. Everybody made was laughing at me, because they thought I drew him wrong."
Alex: "Except your brother! Except for me, Alex! I didn't laugh at you."
I was thinking how sweet that he didn't want to make fun of his brother.
But then Alex continued: "... Because I wasn't there!"

March 28, 2014

So I just mentioned Will's recent "Dad's like a baby-sitter" line to 2BlueDad as he was walking out of the room. 
Alex: You're like a baby-sitter too, Mom!
Me: I am? How?
Alex: Because you're really pretty and you stay with us a lot.
Me: Um ... thank you!
Alex: Actually? You're like our bestest parent ever.
Since I have two super-Daddy-loving little boys, I was quite struck by that.
Me: Aww, thank you!
Alex: Yeah, you're our bestest parent ever because you take good care of us and you stay with us a lot.
Will: And I like Daddy, too, because he's almost as powerful. I love him SO much.
Me: Almost as powerful as what??
Will: As a lion.
Obviously. 

Time for some Easter pictures!

Making Resurrection rolls:

Easter Sunday; before and after the egg hunt:

April 21, 2014

(Back story: Alex has been telling us for a while now that when he grows up he wants to marry "Baby L," our friend's daughter, who is now a toddler.)

Over lunch, Will was talking about how he never wants to marry anyone. Alex said he does want to get married. I told them that I like being married, because I get to be with my best friend a lot … and that if they do get married, my advice is to choose someone who really loves God, and loves them, and is kind and hard-working. I asked them, “Do you think I married someone like that?” And they both said “Yes!”

I told them, “That’s why I like being married; because I have a really wonderful husband and I enjoy spending time with him, and he really loves God and loves me and is very kind and hard-working.”

Alex thought for a minute and then said very seriously, “Well … Baby L. doesn’t do any of those things … but she’s cute! And she looks good!” It starts so young ...

***

Well, there's a sibling fight I never thought I'd hear: 

"I love Jesus more than you!" 

"No, I love him more than you do!" 

"Well I love him 813,434!" 

"Well I love him 435,648889!" 

"Well ... We love him the same, don't we?!"

  

May 4, 2014

At dinner, 2BlueDad was telling me about a family he met and mentioned that they homeschool.

Will piped up: "I want to homeschool today!"

Me: "You do? Why?"

Will: "Because you know a lot of things that I want to learn, and you can teach me some of them today!"

:heart melting:

May 5, 2014

Will: "Mom, for your birthday tomorrow, I want to give you a Wonder Woman costume and a Wonder Woman shirt and a Wonder Woman action figure and a Wonder Woman Lego figure. Actually, I have a Wonder Woman Lego figure I could give you ... except I can't find the head. Or the body or the hair."

And one more comparison pic. Life with 1-month-old twin boys versus life with 5+year-old twin boys: 

Such a touching brotherly moment ...

Conversation at lunch:

Will: "My friends made fun of me at school yesterday. Because I was drawing a picture, and Caleb laughed at me and said, 'That's not Mace Windu'! And then Jack laughed at me too. Everybody made was laughing at me, because they thought I drew him wrong."
Alex: "Except your brother! Except for me, Alex! I didn't laugh at you."
I was thinking how sweet that he didn't want to make fun of his brother.
But then Alex continued: "... Because I wasn't there!"

On another note, did you know that Spiderman sucks his thumb? (Surely someday we'll be able to break that habit ...)

And another recent anecdote:

Will: "I love my dad. He takes such good care of me. He's like a baby-sitter!"(I guess he hasn't seen all those posts about "When it's your kid, it's not baby-sitting; it's called parenting! ;) )

Catching up

A few recent anecdotes and pictures: 

Friday, March 07, 2014

Me: Alex, you're a character.

Alex: (indignantly) No, I'm not; I'm real!

March 12, 2014

Alex, while putting his shoes on before preschool: "I'm going to be thinking about you, Mommy."
Me: "Really? That's sweet. What will you be thinking about me?"
Alex: "Um ... I don't know. That you're pretty, and that you're beautiful."
He is totally getting a raise.

March 13, 2014

Me: (faking surprise as he jumped out at me) "Alex! Where did you come from?!"
Alex: "From your tummy ... Well, and from God ... (thinking hard) But how did God get me in your tummy?"
Me: "Um ... It was a miracle."
Alex: "OK. Mommy? That's the last thing you should say."
I have no idea why he said that, but that was perfect, since that was exactly where I wanted to end that conversation for now! 

March 14, 2014

Will: "Why does my hair get browner every time I get a haircut?"

  

March 15, 2014

Alex: (out of the blue) "Mommy, I used to be Southern, but I'm not anymore."

Not sure where that came from; maybe he got tired of being the only one in the family with a Southern accent?

Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Alex: "I'm taller than you!"
Will: (forcefully) "And I'm heavier!"
Alex: "Yep!"
Will: "Let's NOT talk about this!"
Alex: "OK, Will! If you say so!"

****
Alex: “Mommy, when Q and U get married, who do you think is going to be the woman and who’s going to be the man?"

Surrounded by Boys ...

Thursday at dinner:

**Warning: slight little-boy TMI ahead**
During dinner, Alex randomly started saying in a sing-songy/taunting voice, "Mommy's surrounded by bo-oys, Mommy's surrounded by bo-oys."
Within 3 minutes, there was an extended chorus of arm-farting noises at the table. 
(Will has developed a new talent.  )
Yep, that's my life. At least they're cute and cuddly.

Later that evening:

Me: "Boys, remember, you need to pick out an 'O' item to take to preschool tomorrow for show and tell."
Alex: (quite earnestly) "OK, but remember: No ovens!"

Friday conversation:

Me: Alex, you're a character.

Alex: (indignantly) No, I'm not; I'm real!

Today's Will Quotables

This afternoon:

"Teenagers *are* grownups. Trust me, Mom."

Tonight:

"So no babies can play my Jake and the Neverland Pirates game. Because I saw the symbol on it, that says no babies. And I think what it means is no pooping on it."

Twin Win

Alex to Will: "If you still keep going faster than me, and I don't catch up, you still don't win because we're brothers, and we're twins, so we both win!"

And here I thought it was in the genes.

Alex: "I'm taller than Will [1/4", just like at birth] because I get more sleep than he does!"
Who knew it was that simple? ;)

Deep thoughts by Will

Will: "I was really lonely when I hadn't been made yet. Because I was all alone. My body was inside of me, and then it came out, when God made me. Before that my heart was feeling bad inside because I was all alone."
Alex: "Did Daddy tell you all those things, Will [OurLastName]?"
Will: "Nope. I just knew! I'm the smartest kid ever! ... Well, not *that* smart. I only know a little bit of things."

And some recent pics of my firefighters, my little Valentines, and last night's fire pit fun.

Funny guy; snow pics

Alex: "I want to live with Will my whole life, even when I'm a grownup, because he's SO funny!"

Of course, later that night they were fighting for about 45 minutes straight and Alex was sobbing because Will called him "SO mean!" But still, you have to treasure the sweet moments when they come. :)

And a few pictures from our recent snowfall. Alex and Will hadn't gotten to really experience snow in a few years, so they were pretty excited.

And some throwback comparison pics to the last time they got to play in snow (3 years ago!) Looks like Alex's obsession with holding snow and trying to eat his snowball has been around a while. :)

The benefit of having siblings

Will: "It's good that I have a brother, because he can help me clean up. [Good thing, since he helps make the mess! ;)] ... Because a lot of kids don't have any brothers or sisters, and I bet they miss the clean-up timer." 

Accents

This morning, the boys and I were snuggling with pretty much every stuffed animal in the house.
Alex held up Edward, the bear I bought at Harrod's on a trip there to visit my good friend Melissa, who is from London. Melissa has visited us a couple of times since the boys were born, though the last time was 2.5 years ago so I wasn't sure if they still remembered her.
Me: "Did you know I bought Edward in England?"
Alex: "You did?! Why did you go to England?"
Me: "To visit Melissa. She's from England.
Alex: "Ohh. I *thought* she wasn't from here because she doesn't talk South Carolinan."
Me: (curious if he thinks of "South Carolinan" as "American" accent since he's fuzzy on city/state/country etc.) "What about me? Do you think I talk 'South Carolinan'?"
Alex: "No. You should talk Indian because you were born in India!"
Me: "Um ... that's Indiana."

The life of a MoM

One advantage of being a mother of twins: You can be the parent of the best-behaved kid in the class *and* the worst-behaved kid in the class at the same time!

(This post brought to you by staying to observe a free trial sports class my boys just attended.)

Easy way to keep track of your little one's vocabulary development

This is a bit random, but a question from a friend today about baby's first words reminded me of this and I wanted to share the idea in case anyone else finds it handy.

As my boys started learning how to talk, we would jot down their new words on a dry erase board on their door, and then I took a picture of it every so often to document. It was an easy way to keep track of their vocabulary development, both for sentimental value and to make it easier to answer those milestone "How many words does your child have?" questions at the 18m and 2 year visits. :) Here's a sample picture of the dry erase board taken when they were about 19 months:

Catching Up

I apologize for the long blog silence! With the holidays, a 2100-mile road trip, surgery recovery for my husband, and a big 5th birthday to celebrate for two little boys ... things have been pretty hectic!

A pic I loved from our road trip, of Alex (taken by our sister-in-law):

An anecdote from today:
Tom: "Alex, control yourself."
Alex (with great consternation): "I can't control myself. I don't have a remote control!"

And some birthday pics: